The Mojave Experiment

The Mojave Experiment is an advertising campaign by Microsoft for the Windows Vista operating system. The participants in the experiment were asked about their perceptions of Windows Vista (having never used it) and then were shown a ten minute demo of Microsoft's "next OS", codenamed "Mojave". After the experiment was over, it was revealed that "Mojave" was actually Windows Vista. Before the session, the average rating of Vista was 4.4 out of 10; after the session the average rating was 8.5 out of 10

Check out http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing means Internet ('Cloud') based development and use of computer technology ('Computing'). It is a style of computing where IT-related capabilities are provided “as a service”, allowing users to access technology-enabled services without knowledge of, expertise with, or control over the technology infrastructure that supports them. It is a general concept that incorporates software as a service, Web 2.0 and other recent, well-known technology trends, where the common theme is reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users.

Cloud computing is often confused with grid computing (a form of distributed computing whereby a "super and virtual computer" is composed of a cluster of networked, loosely-coupled computers, acting in concert to perform very large tasks), utility computing (the packaging of computing resources, such as computation and storage, as a metered service similar to a traditional public utility such as electricity) and autonomic computing (computer systems capable of self-management). Indeed many cloud computing deployments are today powered by grids, have autonomic characteristics and are billed like utilities, but cloud computing is rather a natural next step from the grid-utility model. Some successful cloud architectures have little or no centralised infrastructure or billing systems whatsoever including Peer to peer networks like BitTorrent and Skype and Volunteer computing like SETI.

The majority of cloud computing infrastructure currently consists of reliable services delivered through next-generation data centers that are built on compute and storage virtualization technologies. The services are accessible anywhere in the world, with The Cloud appearing as a single point of access for all the computing needs of consumers. Commercial offerings need to meet the quality of service requirements of customers and typically offer service level agreements. Open standards and open source software are also critical to the growth of cloud computing.

As customers generally do not own the infrastructure, they are merely accessing or renting, they can forego capital expenditure and consume resources as a service, paying instead for what they use. Many cloud computing offerings have adopted the utility computing model which is analogous to how traditional utilities like electricity are consumed, while others are billed on a subscription basis. By sharing "perishable and intangible" computing power between multiple tenants, utilization rates can be improved (as servers are not left idle) which can reduce costs significantly while increasing the speed of application development. A side effect of this approach is that "computer capacity rises dramatically" as customers do not have to engineer for peak loads. Adoption has been enabled by "increased high-speed bandwidth" which makes it possible to receive the same response times from centralized infrastructure at other sites.

The cloud computing "revolution" is being driven by companies like Amazon, Google, Salesforce and Yahoo! as well as traditional vendors including Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel and Microsoft and adopted by individuals through large enterprises including General Electric, D&B, L'Oréal, Procter & Gamble and Valeo.

Warren Buffet Quotes

A collection of some of my favorite quotes from the famous Omaha Investor. I like to think about them as a way of peeking into how he sees things:

1. "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." (To his son Howard)

2. "Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you should look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence , and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it's true. If you hire somebody without the first, you really want them to be dumb and lazy"

3. "I gave a talk last year; some student at Harvard asked me, 'Who should I go to work for?' I said go to work for whoever you admire the most. I got a call from the dean about two weeks later. He said, 'What are you telling these kids? They're all becoming self-employed.'"

4. "I want to be able to explain my mistakes. This means I do only the things I completely understand." (On Investing)

5. "Do a lot of reading" (On how to determine the value of a business)

6. "If they need my help to manage the enterprise, we're probably both in trouble." (On how he expects his managers to run the show)

7. "Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule. No. 1" (Investment Philosophy)

8. "The fact that people will be full of greed, fear, or folly is predictable. The sequence is not predictable."

9. "Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway."

10. "It has always been a fantasy of mine that a boatload of 25 brokers would be shipwrecked and struggle to an island from which there could be no rescue. Faced with developing an economy that would maximize their consumption and pleasure, would they, I wonder, assign 20 of their number to produce food, clothing, shelter, etc., while setting five to trading endlessly on the future output of the 20?" (Poking Fun at Option Traders)

Best of Steve Jobs

"It's rare that you see an artist in his 30s or 40s able to really contribute something amazing."
-- At age 29, in Playboy, February 1985


"I've always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do."
-- BusinessWeek Online, Oct. 12, 2004

"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it."
-- Fortune, Nov. 9, 1998
"It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much."
-- BusinessWeek Online, Oct. 12, 2004

"(Miele) really thought the process through. They did such a great job designing these washers and dryers. I got more thrill out of them than I have out of any piece of high tech in years."
-- Wired magazine, February 1996
On Fixing Apple:

"The products suck! There's no sex in them anymore!"
-- On Gil Amelio's lackluster reign, in BusinessWeek, July 1997

"The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament."
-- Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company, by Owen W. Linzmayer

"If I were running Apple, I would milk the Macintosh for all it's worth -- and get busy on the next great thing. The PC wars are over. Done. Microsoft won a long time ago."
-- Fortune, Feb. 19, 1996

"You know, I've got a plan that could rescue Apple. I can't say any more than that it's the perfect product and the perfect strategy for Apple. But nobody there will listen to me."
-- Fortune, Sept. 18, 1995

"Apple has some tremendous assets, but I believe without some attention, the company could, could, could -- I'm searching for the right word -- could, could die."
-- On his return as interim CEO, in Time, Aug. 18, 1997

Kamal Nath

Mr. Kamal Nath is the Minister for Commerce and Industry with Cabinet Rank. He is a member of the Congress Party, which leads the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Mr. Kamal Nath took over as the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry on May 24, 2004. His tenure as the Commerce & Industry Minister has witnessed major trade policy initiatives. For the first time, a comprehensive Foreign Trade Policy (2004-09) has been announced laying out a coherent roadmap with a twin focus on exports as well as employment. India’s merchandise exports rose to around US $ 80 billion registering over 24% growth in 2004-05 over the previous year. Major bilateral trade initiatives have been taken with countries like China and Pakistan and there has been significant progress in the area of regional trade agreements. On the multilateral trade front, India has played an active and constructive role in the finalisation of the WTO Framework Agreement of July 2004 and hosted the G-20 meeting in New Delhi consolidating the G-20 alliance. India has entered the full product patent regime with effect from 1/1/2005 with the passage of the Patents (Amendment) Bill 2005, while major FDI policy initiatives have been taken such as allowing 100% FDI under the automatic route in the construction-development sector.

He joined the Indian National Congress in 1968 as a Youth Worker, and was elected to Parliament from the Chhindwara constituency for the first time in 1980. He has subsequently won Parliamentary elections from the same constituency again in 1985, 1989, 1991, 1998, 1999 and 2004. Chhindwara, situated in India's largest state of Madhya Pradesh, is predominantly a tribal district having large tracts of lush tropical forests. He was also the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress and a Member of the Congress Working Party, the highest decision making body of the Congress Party, during September 2002 to July 2004.

As a Member of Parliament Mr. Kamal Nath represented India in the United Nations General Assembly in 1982 and 1983. He also attended the International Parliamentary Union Conferences held in Nicaragua (1987), Guatemala (1988) and Cyprus (1990). For sometime he served on the Board of Directors of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), a Government of India Undertaking.

Mr. Kamal Nath was first inducted into the Union Council of Ministers as Minister of Environment & Forests in June 1991. During his tenure Mr. Nath made a remarkable contribution to the enunciation and development of the National Policy on Ecological Conservation and the Abatement of Pollution. His policy initiatives include establishment of Environment Tribunals, the concept of Environment Audit, special measures for the further protection and conservation of wildlife - fauna as well as flora, and the establishment of Environment Brigades and Afforestation Brigades so as to enthuse the youth in the country, and involve them, as well as many Non-Governmental Organizations, in active participation in the conservation of the environment. The afforestation and development of degraded wastelands in India was taken up on a massive scale under his stewardship. He enunciated global concepts on Environmental Tariffs and conceptualized Global Emission Quotas.

As Minister, Mr. Kamal Nath led the Indian Delegation to the World Forestry Conference in Paris (1991), the UNEP Governing Council meeting in Nairobi, the PREPCOM IV discussions in New York and the Kuala Lumpur Conference, all in 1992. He hosted the SAARC Environment Ministers Conference in New Delhi and emerged as one of the chief spokesmen for developing countries at the UNCED in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. Mr. Nath has also led national delegations to Finland, Sweden, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Dubai and UK as also to UNCTAD and UNEP.

Following this, he was Textile Minister. During his tenure the country touched new heights in production & export of Cotton. The New Textile policy was successfully launched to achieve an all time high exports of garments & fabrics.

Mr. Nath was educated at the prestigious Doon School in Dehra Dun, and subsequently obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Commerce from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta. Mr. Kamal Nath is interested in a variety of sports.

Mr. Kamal Nath has a keen interest in welfare issues, particularly tribal uplift and rural development. He is also President of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad; Chairman, Madhya Pradesh Child Development Council; and Patron, Bharat Yuvak Samaj (Youth Wing of All India Bharat Seva Samaj).

Pascal Lamy

Mr. Lamy holds degrees from the Paris based Ecole des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC), from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (IEP) and from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA). He began his career in the French civil service at the Inspection Générale des finances and at the Treasury. He then became an advisor to the Finance Minister Jacques Delors, and subsequently to Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy.


In Brussels from 1985 to 1994, Pascal Lamy was Chief of staff for the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, and his representative as Sherpa in the G7.

In November 1994, he joined the team in charge of rescuing Credit Lyonnais, and later became CEO of the bank until its privatisation in 1999.

Between 1999 and 2004, Pascal Lamy was Commissioner for Trade at the European Commission under Romano Prodi.

After his tenure in Brussels, Pascal Lamy spent a short sabbatical period as President of “Notre Europe”, a think tank working on European integration, as associate Professor at the l’Institut d’études politiques in Paris and as advisor to Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (President of the European Socialist Party).